With the start of football season rapidly approaching, many questions still surround the Florida football team, picked to finish second in the Southeastern Conference East Division at SEC Media Days. Here are the four most pressing questions ahead of Fall camp.
Who will start at quarterback?
This is technically still a question only in the sense that a starter hasn’t officially been named. At this point, it would be a revelation if Luke Del Rio didn’t trot out with the first-team offense when Florida plays Massachusetts on Sep. 3.
The journeyman signal caller transferred to UF from Oregon State before last season and sat out due to NCAA transfer rules, and his only action for the Gators was in the Spring game. But not only did he start the game for the first-team offense — he outperformed his competition by completing 10-of-11 passes for 176 yards and two touchdowns.
As for the rest of the quarterback crop, Austin Appleby’s experience could give him an edge in securing the No. 2 spot. The Purdue graduate transfer brings Big 10 starting experience and a 6-foot-4 frame.
Aside from him, true freshmen Kyle Trask and Feleipe Franks round out the group. Trask, a three-star passer who was a backup at his Texas high school, turned heads during spring for his accuracy.
Franks, who was one of the most coveted recruits in Florida’s 2016 class, struggled mightily in the Spring game, going 5-of-11 with three interceptions.
Who will emerge at running back?
Florida has a stable of capable players in the backfield, but the question is if any will emerge as a playmaker. The Gators have no Leonard Fournette, Nick Chubb or Dalvin Cook right now.
But can they by mid-season?
The competitors vying for time with the first-team offense are Mark Thompson, Jordan Cronkrite and Jordan Scarlett.
Cronkrite and Scarlett are both sophomores who bring similar skill sets. They’re about the same size (5-foot-11, 200 pounds), and they’re quick. But neither one was fast enough to burn defenders nor big enough to run them over last season.
Thompson, meanwhile, is a bruiser. He’s 6-foot-2, weighs 242 pounds and has drawn comparisons to former Alabama running back Derrick Henry.
The junior college transfer has never played against an SEC defense, though. His only taste of what that’s like has been in practice and in the Orange and Blue Debut, when he gained 46 yards on five carries and scored a touchdown.
He’s the wild card of the bunch, but the other two only have one year of collegiate experience. Only time will tell if they can make the leap from competent to productive in year two.
Who’s going to fill the void of defensive playmakers?
The Gators lost their top player from last season at every defensive unit.
Vernon Hargreaves is no longer locking down receivers at corner, Keanu Neal is no longer patrolling the open field at safety, Antonio Morrison is no longer hitting runners in the hole at linebacker, and Jonathan Bullard is no longer anchoring the defensive line.
Of those positions, the one of least concern should be cornerback. Jalen Tabor might be better than Hargreaves, and Quincy Wilson is capable of holding his own on the other side. At nickelback, Duke Dawson shouldn’t have a problem either. With an extra year of experience, this group could be better than last season’s.
On the defensive line, replacing Bullard also shouldn’t be too much of a hassle. The Gators have some of the best depth in the country in the defensive trenches, and that starts at the top with Caleb Brantley, Cece Jefferson, Bryan Cox and Joey Ivie. In addition, the Gators have capable contributors in Taven Bryan, Khairi Clark, Keivonnis Davis, Justus Reed and Jordan Sherit. And finally, there’s also the influx of young talent like Jabari Zuniga, Jachai Polite and UF’s top recruit of 2016, Antonneous Clayton.
Things get hazier at linebacker, where depth will be important. Jarrad Davis, the unquestioned leader of Florida’s linebacking corps, should be able to compensate for the loss of Antonio Morrison. Beyond him, though, there are plenty of questions.
Alex Anzalone, if healthy, should start. Daniel McMillian and Matt Rolin were top recruits three years ago but have done little during their time in Gainesville. If they’re going to emerge as contributors, this would be the time.
Beyond them, the Gators could turn to reserves like Cristian Garcia or Rayshad Jackson as well as to true freshmen like Vosean Joseph and Jeremiah Moon.
Then there’s safety, where redshirt senior Marcus Maye has a stranglehold on one starting spot. The other, though, is up in the air. The Gators could go with veteran players like Nick Washington and Marcell Harris, or they could move Dawson or Wilson back there and put some younger players — like Chauncey Gardner or McArthur Burnett — in at corner. Gardner, who was UF’s top DB recruit in 2016, could also potentially play safety.
Will Eddy Pineiro perform in front of a crowd?
The early indications are yes.
Pineiro electrified the Swamp during the Orange and Blue Debut, connecting on 3-of-5 field goal attempts with the two misses coming from beyond 50 yards.
He’s also garnered hype for his videos of 70+-yard kicks on social media, which have led some fans to anoint him as the second coming of Caleb Sturgis. But as Lee Corso has said many times on ESPN’s College Gameday, “not so fast, my friend.”
Pineiro has never — including in high school or junior college — kicked in front of hostile crowds on a fraction of the scale of the 100,000+ he’ll encounter in Knoxville.
Being able to perform in road environments will be key for the Gators, who lost out on 30 points last season at the hands of missed field goals.
Pineiro seems to be a solution to that problem, but just remember one thing if you think he’s the messiah before proving it: Austin Harden was the country’s No. 1 kicker in high school.
Ethan Bauer is the assistant sports editor. Contact him at ebauer@alligator.org and follow him on Twitter @ebaueri.
Cornerback Jalen Tabor (31) celebrates after successfully defending wide receiver Josh Hammond (10) during the Orange & Blue Debut on April 8, 2016, at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
